Cork City Council Creative Communities Grant Scheme 2025 (Ireland)

This grant scheme is designed to financially assist community groups in actively collaborating with artists and creatives. The focus is on projects that not only celebrate artistic expression, but also integrate it into the daily life of the community. They encourage ambitious and innovative projects which grow the capacity of individuals and communities and use culture and creativity to create positive social impacts.

Priority Areas

• Funded projects must address at least two of the five strategic priorities of the Cork City Culture & Creativity Strategy 2023-2027, which are:
  • To tell the own story
  • To enrich the sense of place
  • To support creative industry, ambition and risk-taking
  • To promote well-being through creative engagement
  • To be climate active

Funding Information

• For 2025, they are introducing a pilot two-tier funding scheme to encourage both small-scale and more ambitious creative projects while maintaining the scheme’s accessibility and inclusivity for all community groups:
  • Level 1: €1,500 – €3,000
    • Projects with short timelines (3-6 months) engaging a defined community group or targeting a specific participant base.
    • Immediate, impactful activities designed to spark creativity and engagement in the community and likely to create modest but clear benefits for community cohesion.
    • Realistic budgets with a focus on community participation. No match funding required.
    • Flexible use of funds for creative workshops, community events, or pilot initiatives testing innovative ideas with low financial risk.
  • Level 2: Up to €6,000
    • Projects with strong potential for significant and lasting impact in the community.
    • Longer timelines and/or broader participant engagement.
    • Involvement of multiple artists or creative professionals, with roles clearly defined.
    • Proposals must include a detailed plan for sustainability and ongoing community benefits, such as continued use of project outputs.
    • Collaboration with multiple partners is encouraged.
    • While not mandatory, match funding or in-kind contributions will be considered as evidence of sustainability.

Eligible Projects

• Circus, Film, Literature, Creative Writing, Music (all genres), Dance (all types), Street Arts & Spectacle, Theatre, Traditional Arts, Visual Arts, Cultural, Heritage, Multi-disciplinary Arts, Architecture, Podcasting, Murals, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Fashion, Comedy, Design (all kinds), Digital Games, Creative Digital Technology, Animation, Cooking, Graffiti

Ineligible Projects

• Ineligible projects include:
  • Those dedicated solely to sport and fitness;
  • For-profit initiatives;
  • Charitable events;
  • Any project where it is determined that the main beneficiary would be a private entity;
  • Projects that target the general public, without focusing on a specific named community;
  • Projects that do not meet the criteria as stated.

Eligibility Criteria

• Community groups from all backgrounds in Cork City are encouraged to submit creative project proposals.
• Eligible groups may include schools, health and social care settings, youth clubs, prisons, community centers, neighborhoods, hobby or interest-based groups, cultural or social communities, environmental groups, and more.

Ineligibility Criteria

• However, groups whose sole connection as a community is their shared creative practice are not eligible for funding under this scheme.

Assessment Criteria

• Funding requests will be assessed based on how well the following have been considered:
  • Creative Merit: Appropriate creative practitioners/organisations engaged to realise the objectives in a way that facilitates inclusive and diverse community engagement;
  • Strategic Merit: The proposal meets the strategic priorities of Cork City Culture & Creativity Strategy 2023-2027;
  • Feasibility: The timeline and budget (including any relevant information on ‘in-kind’ resources) are realistic for the proposed activities; and
  • Legacy: Creativity, innovation, and ambition are embedded in the proposal in a way that will cause lasting, positive impact for the context engaged.

Application Requirements

• Completed applications must:
  • specifies a named community as the target of the proposed project;
  • facilitates activities that are not already funded by Creative Ireland through Cork City Council;
  • clearly identifies at least one creative practitioner or creative organisation that will work with the group using creative processes, in support of the delivery of the Cork City Creative Ireland Strategy 2023-2027; and
  • encloses the creative practitioner/organization’s CV, biography, and information on prior experience of similar projects.

For more information, visit Cork City Council.